


Protector in the Shadows

by dragonwriter24cmf



Series: Stand Together [2]
Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Anger, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, implied trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:54:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24693358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwriter24cmf/pseuds/dragonwriter24cmf
Summary: Sequel to 'Sadness in the Dark'.After leaving Persephone, Hades goes to visit someone else. There's something he needs to confirm.
Relationships: Hades/Persephone (Lore Olympus)
Series: Stand Together [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1785232
Comments: 7
Kudos: 129





	Protector in the Shadows

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All characters belong to the creator of Lore Olympus.

**Protector in the Shadows**

He slips out of the house about an hour before dawn. Kore is asleep, and she rolled over and let him go a few minutes ago. He considered staying, but he doesn’t want to get her into trouble with Artemis. Especially now that he has some idea of all the struggles she’s been facing lately.

Not that he thinks she told him everything. He knows she didn’t. He’s actually surprised by how much she  _ did  _ tell him.

Then again, he’s pretty much surprised by everything that’s happened tonight. He did not expect to be summoned, and certainly not by her. He didn’t expect her to call on him, or to ask him to stay. He didn’t expect to find out she was having trouble, though he suspected it when he heard her summons. He didn’t expect to be invited to share her bed, especially with the boundaries they’d discussed earlier, and the way he’d blatantly smashed through them in their last interaction.

A shiver distracts him. As promised, he left behind a souvenir so she’d know he really was there. He didn’t have a lot on him since he was summoned without preparation, and she seemed to really like the sweatshirt.

The point is, he’s currently running around barefoot and in a t-shirt, and even being used to the cooler temperature of the Underworld does NOT make him invulnerable to pre-dawn spring temperatures.

He should have transitioned straight from the house, the way he came in. But he didn’t want to risk leaving too much residue of his power. Artemis might or might not notice, but if any of the older goddesses do, she could be in trouble.

Besides, he has something he wants to do before he goes back to the Underworld. Or rather, something he wants to confirm. And for that, he needs to speak to Eros.

He respects that Kore didn’t want to tell him who hurt her. And he doesn’t actually have any intention of doing anything, especially not if what he suspects is true. But he needs to know whether he’s correct or not, and not just for himself. Two thousand years might have taught him to control his temper when necessary, but that doesn’t stop him from being furious, and he knows quite well he’d better make sure his wrath is directed at the right person.

He wasn’t lying when he said his reaction to the reporter was restrained.

So he sighs and makes his way to the house of Aphrodite.

The door opens before he’s all the way up the walk, to reveal Ares. “Whoa...Uncle Hades...” A sharp, cutting smile breaks over his face. “You look ready for  _**war** _ .”

“Yes, I know. And I know you know. But I’m not doing anything just yet. I need to speak with Eros. Is he awake?” He folds his arms and leashes his temper as best he can, not wanting to stoke Ares’ power any further.

“Uncle Hades!” Ares is unceremoniously shoved aside by a youthful-looking boy, followed by a petite nymph looking over his shoulder. “What brings you here at this hour?”

“I need to speak with you. Out here.” Outside he can ensure their privacy, especially while the darkness remains. But inside, with Ares already aroused and Aphrodite most likely aware of him too, not to mention their children...his chances of keeping things private are nil.

“Okay!” Eros sticks his head back inside. “Ma! I’m going to the apartment with Uncle Hades!” He looks back. “You want a jacket? Dad has some stuff that’s in your colors.”

Ares would. And usually, he would say no, but it is still a little chilly. And he doesn’t want to have this conversation while shivering like an idiot. “Fine. A jacket would be great.”

Eros ducks back inside, to be replaced by his parents. Ares is still grinning like he’s about to rip someone’s spine out. Aphrodite raises an eyebrow at him. “Really?”

“Not your business. And you started it.”

“I did not.” His turn to raise an eyebrow. “Okay, so I did. I hope you know what you’re doing. But...” She tilts her head. “If it’s  _ that _ way, I suppose I can forgive the ‘prettier than Aphrodite’ comment.”

He decides there’s no winning this battle, just as Eros comes bursting back through, shoving his parents aside and shoving a dark gray long-sleeved shirt in his face. “Here you go!”

“Thank you.” He shrugs into the shirt with as much grace as he can muster. “Let’s go.”

“Okay!” Eros leaps into the sky, and he follows.

The apartment they arrive at is small but comfortable looking. And, very well insulated. He can tell. Good. He reinforces the privacy a little, then turns to his great-nephew.

Eros is staring at him with a mix of glee and consternation that is somewhat disconcerting. But of course, he would sense the same things his mother did. He sighs and puts a hand to his face. “Go ahead and say it.”

“You’re totally head over heels for Persephone!” Eros grins and bounces a little in place. “Like... _ way  _ more than just infatuated, or even crushing!”

“I know.” He tries not to admit it, knowing the difference in their ages and the numerous roadblocks to any relationship between them. “And yes, brat, I’ve made my feelings clear to her, as much as I can without jeopardizing both our reputations and positions.”

“Oh my gosh! That is great!” Eros grins. “You know she’s totally into you too!”

“She...” He flushes. “She’s made it clear that my feelings are not entirely unwelcome. But there are other things to consider, so keep it to yourself for now. You and your mother both.”

“Okay.” Eros shrugs, still looking delighted. “No problem.” He bounces, then drops into a seat. “But that isn’t what you came to talk to me about.”

“No.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. He’s tempted to prevaricate, but that’s not fair. Not to Kore. Not to Eros. Not even to himself. He sighs, then folds his arms and begins. “She called me tonight. Not by phone, or on Fatesbook. She used the summoning ritual.”

“Whoa! Seriously?”

“Yes. She was upset. We talked for a while. I left after she went to sleep. But...there’s something that came up. She told me that part of what troubled her was a situation that occurred recently. She told me you know about it.”

Eros blinks, and all the glee drains out of his face. “She told you...”

“That someone hurt her. In a way that invalidates her scholarship, among other things. She didn’t give me the name.”

Eros looks a little cagey. “If she didn’t tell you...”

“She doesn’t have to, and neither do you. I can guess. All I want is for you to nod if I guessed the right person.”

“Why?”

“Because right now I’m respecting her right to handle it her own way. I promised I wouldn’t act in vengeance on her behalf, and it’s a promise I intend to keep. But...I want to know who she needs protection from if the situation arises. And what I’ll be up against, in that case. And I  _ damn well  _ _**want to make sure my wrath has the correct target.** _ ”

He knows he’s letting his darker side out, from the feel in the air, the way his skin is darkening, and the shadows are growing deeper. Not to mention the deep rumble in his voice and the way Eros sinks back into his seat.

He reigns himself in. Eros isn’t at fault. And he doesn’t need to draw Ares to him again. Or anyone else. “That’s all. I came to you because I know you know. She told me you’ve been helping her. If the circumstances arise, I want you to be able to summon me as well. Without worrying about whether or not I know what’s going on.”

Eros stares at him for a moment, then nods. “Okay.”

He takes a deep breath. He almost doesn’t want to ask the question, now that Eros has agreed to answer it. But he can’t help his suspicions.

He saw Apollo and Kore. He saw how scared she was of him, and then how enraged she became. He saw the way Apollo was just waiting for them. And he’s heard the rumors, that Apollo is very much his father’s son, sometimes in the worst ways.

He has no doubt that he’ll fight Zeus to protect Kore. And he’ll undoubtedly fight Zeus’s children. But he can’t do anything until he knows for sure.

He takes another deep breath, meets Eros’ wide-eyed gaze. “Was it Apollo, who hurt her that way?”

One sharp, short nod, but that’s all he needs. He breathes out and closes his eyes, holding on to his temper with every bit of strength he has.

Apollo. The entitled little son of the Olympian king. The boy who never understood not being able to have whatever he wanted. Zeus’s much-beloved golden child, driver of the sun chariot, god of healing and music. Adored by humans. And brother to Artemis, a formidable warrior in her own right.

Hera, if she knew, would side with him, and with Persephone. And she would know the truth if it was presented to her. Ares would side with Hera, for he loves her. Poseidon...who knows. The same could be said of Zeus and Hera’s other children.

Zeus himself is something of a wildcard. He might punish his son. He’s equally capable of refusing to see the truth and siding against the rest of them. Probably one of the many reasons Kore hasn’t said anything.

She’s also too kind to risk a schism between her room-mate and Artemis’s twin, and too practical to risk her own living situation over such things, even if she should. This is something that could cause a riot among the Olympians, and Kore, sheltered as she is, is still smart enough to know it.

And she’s not as sheltered as she sometimes seems, not if she’s experienced wrath in a form great enough to require Demeter’s intervention and frighten her so profoundly.

He gets control of himself and opens his eyes to meet Eros’. “If the worst happens...can you give her shelter here if she needs it?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Eros nods. “I would now, but she doesn’t want to. She doesn’t want the rumors.”

“I know. That’s one of the reasons she asked me not to do anything, and refused to tell me his name.” And that’s a concern he needs to address right now. “She might need you when she wakes. So please check on her. And if she does need you, if she asks for your help...there’s something I want you to do.”

“What?”

“Tell her I talked to you. Tell her  _ why _ I talked to you.” Kore will be furious when, or if, she discovers that he made Eros tell her the name of her attacker. But that’s his problem. He’ll tell her the truth when she confronts him, if she does. “Tell her whatever you need to tell her to make sure she doesn’t blame you and push you away.” He’d rather she hate him for a while and feel he betrayed her than Eros, when Eros is in a better position to help her at the moment.

“Oh.” Eros’ eyes go soft and wide. “Oh...you’re  _ bleeding _ .”

He looks down. There’s no sign of ichor; he doesn’t feel any wounds on his person. Then Eros is beside him and touches his chest with a gentle hand. “Your heart hurts.” Eros bows his head, looking worlds wearier and much older than he should. “Oh. You’re willing to be wounded to protect her.” Sorrow fills his eyes. “You already have been...and on top of...”

“Stop. Please.” He doesn’t want Eros to speak his pain aloud. He won’t be able to control his reaction if he does.

The recent confrontations with Minthe have left him raw and aching. Enough for him to confess that he wanted Kore. But also to cut into wounds that are centuries old and slice to the core of him. Scars and wounds that he fears will never heal, like the marks carved into jagged paths in his skin. 

_ ‘You look like your father. His eyes, his hands, his skin.’ _

_‘You’ll come back, as soon as she figures out the truth about you, or you realize she’s not what you’re hoping for.’_

He wants it to be lies. He believes they might be. He knows she’s always been this way, cutting and wounding in her anger. 

He knows Hecate and Hera did their best to staunch the wounds she dealt. He’s done his own healing as well, in keeping things amicable between himself and Minthe, and respecting Kore. Aside from the kiss, which he might feel guilty for but can’t regret.

But he can’t deny the wounds exist. Not when he remembers falling into Nyx’s realm at the pain of them.

Nor can he deny that he aches still from the probing of his wounds earlier this evening. He doesn’t regret telling Persephone his story, not if it helped. And it seemed to. But remembering the past is painful, always. Remembering his years alone in the darkness. His brokenness after he was freed. The torment of his wounds, the anguish he felt. His shame when he could barely answer the simplest of questions, unable to speak properly in those first days.

He tried to hide some of his suffering from her. He doubts he was entirely successful, even if he omitted some of the details. Like the fact that his relationship with Hera, their growing closeness after the war, is one of the reasons he was assigned to the Underworld. Deny it as much as his brother might want, they all know he was jealous and decided to get the obstacle a little further out of his path. The powers over darkness and death that Hades commands were just a convenient excuse.

Witness the fact that his home is in the Underworld,  _ not _ Olympus. It’s not like the commute would be a long one. Or a hard one. He’s had centuries to come to terms with it, and he and Hera have made their friendship hold strong regardless, but the truth is the truth. 

And he knows she picked up on more of his loneliness and his sorrow than he would have liked. Persephone is perceptive like that. He could feel her trying to comfort him, and then she cried for him.

He hopes she didn’t pick up on his feelings about Kronus. Most gods seem content to pretend the old tyrant is dead, locked away where he can never again cause trouble. But they aren’t the guardians of Tartarus.  _ They _ aren’t responsible for making sure the seals stay locked down. They don’t have to deal with that responsibility  _ and _ the memories of being devoured on their birthday and spending over a decade trapped in the darkness alone.

And none of  _ them _ know that Kore got into Tartarus. Sure, just the uppermost tower levels, where the unruly shades of humans are held. Not the deepest levels where Kronus is entombed. But that’s not the point. She got into the tower. And she shouldn’t have, turned around or no.

A sniff brings him back to the here-and-now. Eros is looking at him with wide, tragic eyes. Because of course, this close, the boy would pick up on his turmoil, even if it’s not his sole area of expertise. It’s still problems within the heart, and he has enough of both his parents’ powers to feel it.

He sighs again. “I’ll be fine. I can handle this.” He forces a smile that both of them know isn’t real at all. “Thank you for confirming my suspicions so that I can be prepared, however things turn out. I’ll owe you a favor.”

Eros shakes his head. “It’s a matter of the heart.” He looks suddenly stubborn. “She won’t hate you for this. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Even though I’m sort of betraying her trust?” He cocks an eyebrow.

“I’ll help her understand.” Eros nods decisively. “Even if she throws things at me. Or something. Even if I have to get Pop to help.” He makes a face.

Well. He’s never thought much of Aphrodite’s son. Especially since, like Hera and Aphrodite, Eros has never been able to solve the problem of  _ his _ love life. Then again, in a strange way, it seems he’s done something after all, and now he’s declaring himself an ally of both himself and Persephone.

Damn. He hates feeling indebted. He wants to help the boy. Then he recalls a conversation a while back, and something he discovered that he hasn’t yet told anyone.

Aphrodite will be pissed when she finds out. But then again...he only promised not to snitch to Zeus…

“You know that nymph you were hanging around with?”

Eros blinks at the change of subject. “Yeah?”

“Don’t tell your mom I told you this...but that’s not a nymph. It’s a human she disguised. She said it was something involving a test for you...”

Eros bolts upright, wide-eyed. “Psyche?”

“Probably.” He catches the youngster before he can fly off. “Look, remember your mom did this to test you. It happens all the time, and she just wanted to help you sort yourself out. And, maybe punish you a little.” Because that is the sort of thing Aphrodite would do. She’s like Hera that way. “And don’t blame the girl either. She probably can’t tell you herself. A condition of the test, or her circumstances, or Aphrodite’s power.”

Eros nods and reluctantly deflates. “I know.”

“My advice? Figure out a way to ‘find out’ for yourself.”

“That’s easy. I loved Psyche. I still do. Mom can only hide her as long as I’m not paying attention. I just have to ‘feel’ the right things, and draw the correct conclusion. I was already wondering why I felt drawn to her.” Eros grins.

“Good boy. And you won’t get angry with your mother?”

“Not too much. She did warn me, and she did say she was testing my feelings. I know the rules.” Eros sighs. “It’s annoying, but...”

“Yeah.” Smart boy.

Dawn is rising, and he needs to return home soon. He’ll already be working off a sleepless and difficult night. He knows Hecate is going to know he’s been upset as soon as he walks in the door. The trick will be keeping everyone else from catching on.

Then again, Hecate knows about his feelings for Persephone, and about his past. And she likes Persephone. Aside from Hera, she’s probably the best one to talk to, even if she will admonish him about his feelings for a girl who is, literally, a hundredth of his age. On the other hand, if he makes it clear that his feelings are reciprocated, maybe, and that he has no intention of doing anything Persephone doesn’t ask him to…

Oh, Tartarus. He might as well not kid himself. Hecate is  _ still _ going to give him a lecture and a half about it. But he can’t lie to himself or her, or Persephone either. And he will need Hecate’s help if and when everything goes wrong. 

He wasn’t joking when he told Persephone that Hecate had a vicious streak. Or when he revealed that she was the one who beat the stuffing out of Alex Petres. He’ll hold off telling her about Apollo as long as he can, but when she finds out…

Well, if he weren’t so enraged himself, he’d feel sorry for the brat. Right at this moment, though, he’s rather looking forward to telling Hecate about what Zeus’s son did to Demeter’s daughter, and watching her reaction.

He shakes the thoughts away. He needs a clear head. Besides, he’s slipping again, from the look on Eros’ face. He blinks, then looks back at the lightening sky. “Is it safe to transit from here?”

“Should be. I’ve done it before.”

“Great. I’ll send Ares his sweatshirt back sometime soon.” Maybe. Probably. He might keep it until he gets his own back from Persephone.

On second thought, does he really need a sweatshirt saying ‘Battlefield 2000’? Battles are always  _ so _ much work.

Nope, he’ll probably send it back after he washes it. He has plenty of other sweatshirts, after all.

He sighs, gives Eros a salute farewell, ignores the cheeky grin on the brat’s face, and summons his energy to take him home.

Seconds later, he’s standing in his own home, in his own bedroom. Cerberus is whining, and he pats the dog on the head. “Sorry boy. Next time I’ll try to take you with me.”

He feels tired. He feels ready to crawl into bed and hide. He needs to settle his mind after all the turmoil of the evening, and he needs to make sure his temper won’t escape if he sees Apollo or Zeus any time soon. He needs to make sure he’s in control of himself, that his metaphorical armor is back in place.

He feels angry, a dark and ugly fury that makes his little bout of temper with the reporter feel like a laugh. He hasn’t been this angry in a long time. Maybe never. Certainly not since the Titan Wars. He needs to get it under control, or he’s going to do something he can’t afford to do. Like hunt Apollo down and challenge him to battle. Or maybe just obliterate that precious car of his...with him inside.

He really needs to calm down. But if he skips work, Hecate will come looking for him. And she will not be pleased with having to take time to come looking for him. If he calls in, she will be suspicious. Or worried. Or both.

Nope. He needs to talk to her, but he’d rather pick the time and place. Which means he needs to get a bath or a shower, get dressed, take care of the dogs, and get to work. Hopefully, his schedule won’t be packed today. Hopefully, Hecate’s schedule won’t be packed today.

If he’s lucky, he’ll be able to call it an early day. Maybe. His luck is usually not that good, but he can dream.

And later, he can make plans. What to do if Persephone needs him again. What to do when the truth comes out, when the inevitable confrontation with Apollo comes. What to do when she finds out about his talk with Eros, and how to handle her reaction. What to do about their growing relationship, which seems to refuse all constraints or attempts to keep it from going too fast.

And maybe, maybe…

Maybe somewhere in there he can sleep, and dream of lying in her arms again. Safe. Loved. Respected. He can dream of holding her and making her feel the same way.

**Author's Note:**

> And a continuation of my little might-have-been series. Because it won't leave me alone!


End file.
